Our Publications

Faculty Educator of the Month: June 2013

Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D.

Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D., Vice President for Basic Research, Director of the Breast Cancer Basic Research Program, Director of the Center for Biological Pathways, Chair of and Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology, Ruth Legett Jones Distinguished Chair, and Professor at The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston (GSBS), has been named the June 2013 Faculty Educator of the Month.

In more than 25 years at MD Anderson and the GSBS, Dr. Hung has been a major contributor to the education of scientists in the field of oncology. He added to his already weighty educational responsibilities in 2010 when he assumed the role of Vice President for Basic Research. In that position, he supports the Provost and Executive Vice President by participating in the recruitment, retention, and development of faculty in the basic science research areas. Dr. Hung also oversees the training of numerous basic science researchers in the Breast Cancer Basic Research Program, which he has directed since 1996.

Dr. Hung’s educational reach extends to the classroom, as well. Since 2005, he has been a co-coordinator for the GSBS course Cancer Cell Signaling. Dr. Hung also has coordinated, instructed in, or lectured in a number of other courses at MD Anderson and the GSBS. Furthermore, he currently takes part in three grant-funded training programs, and he has participated in several others over the past 3 decades. Dr. Hung also has been an invited speaker for a long list of courses and meetings at MD Anderson.

In addition, Dr. Hung has had vast experience in supervision and mentoring of trainees at MD Anderson and the GSBS. In particular, he has chaired or served on 91 advisory committees for pre-Ph.D. candidates, 88 supervisory committees for Ph.D. candidates, and 49 Ph.D. qualifying examination committees. Dr. Hung has also participated in 96 ten-week laboratory rotations for GSBS students.

Furthermore, Dr. Hung has directly mentored or supervised 55 GSBS students, 128 postgraduate trainees, 11 MD Anderson clinical fellows, 13 participants in the MD Anderson Physician Scientist Training Program, 11 undergraduate students, 7 high school students, and 8 trainees or junior faculty in their career development tracks. Many of those whom Dr. Hung has supervised have received awards and fellowships for their research.

Dr. Hung has been recognized for his educational and research achievements many times over his career at MD Anderson. Specifically, he received the MD Anderson LeMaistre Outstanding Achievement Award (2011), was named Sowell Huggins Professor in Cancer Research at the GSBS (2011-2013), is a fellow in the Section of Biological Sciences of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2010-present), was named an MD Anderson Distinguished Teaching Professor (2007-present), and is a member of The University of Texas Academy of Health Science Education (2006-present). Also, Dr. Hung received the Presidential Award from the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America in 2011, is a full member of the Scientific Advisory Council for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and received the 2007 MD Anderson Best Boss Award.

Dr. Hung received his Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Brandeis University in 1983. He then completed a fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Robert A. Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1984-1986). After his fellowship, Dr. Hung came to MD Anderson when he was named Assistant Professor in the Department of Tumor Biology (now Molecular and Cellular Oncology). He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1991 and Professor in 1994. Additionally, he was named Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology in 1996 and Visiting Professor at the University of Puerto Rico in 2003.

In 1996, Dr. Hung was named Deputy Chairman (ad interim) of the Department of Tumor Biology. He was promoted to Chairman (ad interim) in 1999 and Chairman in 2000. Also in 1996, Dr. Hung was appointed Director of the Breast Cancer Basic Research Program, and in 2008, he became Director of the Center for Biological Pathways. Dr. Hung also is the Administrative Director for the Jones BRB, Bates-Freeman, and Anderson Central Buildings.

At MD Anderson, Dr. Hung has been the principal investigator, a co-principal investigator, the program or project leader, or a mentor for numerous funded research projects and protocols. Also, he has served on 57 study sections for the National Institutes of Health and 86 study sections for other funding agencies. Dr. Hung also holds 24 patents.

Currently, Dr. Hung is an Associate Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Translational Research. He also has been an Editor, has served on editorial boards, and has been a reviewer for a long list of journals. In his time as a researcher, Dr. Hung has written more than 380 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, 81 invited articles, 4 editorials, and 5 books.